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Behold inscrutable automotive nomenclature. Puzzle over\u00a0Volkswagens named<\/a>\u00a0for German winds like Passat, Golf, and Jetta. Smile at the overwrought Rolls Royce Silver Wraith or Aston Martin Vanquish. Try to decipher alphanumeric badges like SS, TLX, and Z06.<\/p>\n Honda just calls its subcompact the Fit.<\/p>\n How simple. How practical. How . . . fitting. Is there any car name that more accurately describes its product? Designed for an active, young demographic, this Swiss army knife of a vehicle adapts to your friends, your stuff, your budget. Priced affordably from $15,525 to $20,800, the Fit is found on the same tool belt as the Nissan Versa, Chevy Sonic, and Ford Fiesta. Yet as smart and utilitarian as it is, this nerd box on wheels retains Honda\u2019s trademark handling.<\/p>\n Honda got the recipe right in 2006 when it first introduced the Fit and sticks to it in the 2015 model, the car\u2019s third generation for the U.S. market.<\/p>\n What should I buy as my first car? young folks ask. The Fit is always on my short list. No coincidence, then, that Honda chose the University of Michigan for the 2015 Fit\u2019s media test drive. Honda parked a dozen of them on University Avenue in central campus. Like oversized iPhones they came in techy-fruity colors like Milano Red, Mystic Yellow Pearl, and Passion Berry Pearl. I\u2019m surprised students hadn\u2019t hijacked them all by day\u2019s end.<\/p>\n Truth is, they didn\u2019t seem to notice. The poor devils walked the Diag like zombies on caffeine. Eyes sunken from consecutive all-nighters. Their spines bent under the weight of backpacks a Marine couldn\u2019t hoist.<\/p>\n But this car is their future. It\u2019s the perfect post-grad vehicle. It\u2019s a rolling backpack, for goodness sake.<\/p>\n Honda credits its interior versatility to rear \u201cMagic Seats.\u201d They tumble, fold flat, and chase sticks (OK, kidding about that last one). But there\u2019s more magic in this car than just the chairs. Improbably, the Fit has gotten smaller while getting bigger. Honda shortened the Fit by 1.6 inches while lengthening the wheelbase by 1.2 inches and increasing the Fit\u2019s best-in-class 52.7 cubic feet of rear cargo room (seats down). By comparison, the ginormous Chevy Tahoe\u00a0SUV The base Fit is fitter too, shedding 44 pounds and increasing fuel economy to 36 mpg. Yup, that\u2019s best in class, too.<\/p>\n Gotta move boxes and plants into a new apartment? The Fit gives you 4 feet of floor-to-ceiling space. Horizontal room? Fold the front passenger seat flat to open up 7 feet, 9 inches of fore-to-aft space. That\u2019ll swallow a surfboard. Or Shaq O\u2019Neal.<\/p>\n Excuse me while I blab on about that lay-flat front seat. At 6 feet 5 inches I can\u2019t complain about the Fit\u2019s rear legroom. But on a long trip I\u2019ll feel cramped in any car because I can\u2019t stretch my legs. Thanks to Honda\u2019s furniture geniuses, I can sit in the back seat of the Fit and use the front seat as an ottoman. My 6\u201911\u201d News colleague Bill Wilson loves his 2008 Fit. Buy a \u201915 and he can flatten front and rear seats and sleep in it too.<\/p>\n OK, so the Fit has more space than a New York apartment. How does it drive? Like a champ.<\/p>\n If the interior nerds got more room out of a shorter car, you just knew the powertrain wonks were going to squeeze more horsepower from the gerbil wheel up front. Yup, the Fit gains 11 percent more horsepower from the 1.5 direct injection four-banger while also increasing fuel efficiency by 16 percent. Admittedly, the efficiency comes from a droning, Continuously Variable Transmission that has all the soul of a pencil sharpener. But for the easily bored (guilty as charged), the Fit fits paddle shifters behind the steering wheel so you can row the box.<\/p>\n Ricocheting across Ann Arbor, the Fit was plenty nimble. The smaller Ford Fiesta is my favorite subcompact dance partner \u2014 but unless you crave the $25 grand Fiesta ST\u2019s power, it\u2019s hard to argue the Fit isn\u2019t the better value.<\/p>\n I will argue with the Fit\u2019s new fascia, which, like the CVT transmission, lacks personality. Where the old Fit greeted you with a smile, the new model\u2019s eye-wear looks like that weird visor X-Men Cyclops wraps around his face. The good news is that other Fit design updates \u2014 from elegant door lines to a chrome-accented rear trunk \u2014 add character.<\/p>\n Twenty-somethings have enough complexity in their new lives. When they buy a car, Honda is an easy Fit.<\/p>\n Vehicle type:<\/b>\u00a0Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-door, five-passenger compact![\"\"](\"http:\/\/images.intellitxt.com\/ast\/adTypes\/icon1.png\")
<\/a>\u00a0has 51.7 cubic feet behind its second row seat. The best-in-class-interior-room Fit also increases rear legroom by 4.8 inches to 39.3 inches \u2014 a number that will make many midsize sedans blush, including Honda\u2019s roomy, 38-inches-of-legroom Accord.<\/p>\n\n\n2015 Honda Fit<\/h3>\n
\nPrice:<\/b>\u00a0$15,525 base ($20,800 as tested)
\nPower plant:<\/b>\u00a01.5-liter, direct-injection, inline 4-cylinder engine
\nPower:<\/b>\u00a0130 horsepower, 114 pound-feet of torque
\nTransmission:<\/b>\u00a0Continuously Variable Transmission (six-speed manual option)
\nPerformance:<\/b>\u00a00-60 mph, 8.5-10 seconds (Car & Driver est.); 110 mph top speed
\nWeight:<\/b>\u00a02,642 pounds
\nFuel economy:<\/b>\u00a0EPA 32 mpg city\/38 mpg highway\/35 mpg combined
\nReport card
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\nHighs:<\/b>\u00a0Roomy rear; Nimble handling
\nLows:<\/b>\u00a0Tight front seat legroom; Soul-less tranny
\nOverall:<\/b>\u2605\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n